Old News - February 2008
29th Feb 08. Irish Cup Q/Final, Donegal Celtic game - My God, has it been 4 years since we won the Irish Cup, seen the day when Glenmen could'a block-booked their Cup Final seat for 4 years!! Time those days were back ...
Match Betting: Glentoran 3/10, Donegal Celtic 15/2, and a draw 7/2. All odds supplied by TOALS.
28th Feb 08. Halfers draw ... v Finn Harps was won by former Club Secretary Margaret Stewart. Margaret was delighted Sas drew her number 5940 to win her £130, on a bitterly cold night when only the real diehards turned up. Tommy Mckee
26th Feb 08. Finn Harps game ... just a wee update. Was down at tonights friendly but had to leave at half-time. Glens line-up included, Simpson, Fitzgerald, Berry, Steele, SAS, Marsh, McGovern, Carson, etc etc etc. Full second 11. Was 0-0 when I left although I hear we won 2-0 - Carson & Steele.
25th Feb 08. GCT General Meeting - Members are reminded that a General Meeting of the Glentoran Community Trust will take place this evening at 7.30pm in the upstairs lounge of the Longfellow Bar, My Ladys Road, Belfast.
Finn Harps game - Tomorrow night sees the Glens take on newly promoted Eircom League side Finn Harps in a friendly at the Oval. The game is one of a number of pre-season fixtures the Donegal club have arranged before the Eircom Premier League kick-off next month. Harps have already beaten Coleraine 1-0 and drawn 2-2 with Newry City. The good news is that Glentoran season tickets will be valid for the game, while entry for the rest of you is £5 with children aged 11 and under admitted free if accompanied by an adult. Kick-off is 7.30pm and the social club will be open.
24th Feb 08. Nerwry City 0 Glentoran 3 - Three Second half goals from David Scullion and Daryl Fordyce (2) secure the Glens another vital 3 points to close the gap on leaders Linfield to 5. Resuts and Table pages now updated.
22nd Feb 08. Newry City game - Sorry for the lack of a pre-match write-up folks, bit hectic today. Bus departs at 1.30pm.
Match Betting: Newry 7/2, Glentoran 4/6, and a draw 5/2. All odds supplied by TOALS.
21st Feb 08. Latest Irish Cup Betting ... on the Glens before next week's Qtr/Final with Donegal Celtic. All odds quoted are for the Glens to win the Cup outright, but each of these bookies offer each-way for 1st or 2nd at ⅓ odds - Toals 7/2 meaning the Glens are better than evens to reach the final. Toals 7/2, Paddy Power 9/4, & Eastwoods 11/5. Ya pays yer money .....
**Update - What about that for a coincidence ... 20 friggin minutes on the Balymac site and Toals price goes down to 9/4!
20th Feb 08. Tim McCann Op-Funding DInner - Easter Saturday 22nd March sees a Dinner function in the Park Avenue Hotel's Cambridge Rooms, in a bid to raise the funding to repair Tim McCann's career-ending knee injury. With no financial assistance as yet from the parent body, and Tim due to go under the knife on Tuesday 25th March, he and a number of fans have decided to take matters into their own hands, hoping to raise the £4,000 needed to pay for his operation. A Champagne reception, Dinner, and LIVE band will be the order of the evening, with guests including the full Gentoran team, and local TV "Icons" Stephen Watson and Jackie Fullerton. Tim also plans to put some of his own personal mementoes up for auction and ballot on the night, with half of the ballot money being donated to the Northern Ireland Hospice. Places are still available for the event, costing £400 for a table of 10 for your club or business, or £40 per person. For more information or to book please call 07831 106021, or email me here at the site directly - info@ballymacgsc.com.
19th Feb 08. Paul Leeman Benefit ... this Saturday night at the Ballymac - Remember the Ballymac are running a "Night At The Races" evening in aid of Paul Leeman's benefit this Saturday 23rd February 2008. Doors open 7.00pm, and Racing is followed by a Disco til late. Tickets are still available at just a fiver a head, or you can simply pay at the door. Please come along and help us support one of the most deserving players ever to grace the Oval turf ... even for an hour or two.
Mothers Day Lunch - BallymacGSC will be holding their traditional Mothers Day Lunch in our Wilgar Street clubrooms on Mothering Sunday 2nd March. Tickets cost £15.00 per person and include a 3 course meal, followed by music and dancing to a LIVE band. Meals must be booked in advance through a member of the club or you can email me here at the site directly at info@ballymacgsc.com. We're open from 1.30pm - 6.00pm, why not treat your mum to a really good day out :-)
GHANA GLENS NEED YOUR HELP - Help the Glentoran Academy Ghana and pick up a real bargain at the same time.
Click HERE or on the Ghana Glens "World Shop" banner above for more details ...
16th Feb 08. Larne 0 Glentoran 3 - Did I say don't be fooled earlier? Well then don't be ;-) This Larne side showed an awful lot today to suggest to me they could be good enough when the shake-up comes for next season's souped up Irish Premier League. BUT ... unfortunately for them ... Gary Hamilton was playing for us! I could rave on about Hammy, (and knowing Gary he would probably love me too ;-) but quite frankly the man IS the best in the business. Alan McDonald is putting together a very exciting young side here, I don't think I've been so optimistic at the Oval for quite some time, but while we eagerly await most of his 'new bloods' to fulfill their true potential, the Hamilton fella just delivers time and time again. A hat-trick today for him, the first a superb individual strike on 15 that the keeper got a hand to, (a heart-breaker for a brave Larne side up until then). A second 'poachers' effort from 6 yards just before the break after the keeper fumbled, then a stooping header 10 minutes into the second half to settle the argument. But for the goalie and better finishing it could have been 5 or 6 after that as Larne seemed to give up the ghost, but a lesson in finishing from the finest in the Irish league was more than enough on the day. A tremendous all round effort it has to be said from this Glentoran side on a very heavy pitch, and what's surely gonna be the team to beat next season. We live in hope. Results & Table pages now updated.
15th Feb 08. Larne game - No gimme this one, don't be fooled, despite the 2 sides being at opposite ends of the table Larne have definitely turned the corner. Having been anchored to the bottom of the table just a month ago, Larne have won their last 3 league games comfortably, and only just lost 3-2 to Cliftonville in the Irish Cup 4 weeks ago. They now sit 3 points clear of the bottom spot with a game in hand, and will be desperate to gain something from this one to stay away from the drop zone. No room for sentiment from us though I'm afraid, as with Cliftonville and Linfield both away from home tomorrow to Dungannon and Ballymena respectively, our trip to Inver Park may provide a rare opportunity to gain some ground on the top two. Ballymac's bus departs Wilgar Street at 2.00pm, and all visitors are once again welcome to travel.
Match Betting: Larne 6/1, Glentoran 4/9, and a draw 11/4. All odds supplied by TOALS.
14th Feb 08. Coleraine game switch - The Glens Premier League fixture with Coleraine at the Oval on March 8th has now been confirmed as switched to the Friday night (7th) due to our Setanta Cup clash at St Pats in Dublin on Monday 10th. Kick off for the Coleraine match will be at the later time of 8.00pm.
13th Feb 08. NO MORE EXCUSES ... NOW YOU CAN JOIN THE GCT ONLINE! Ghana Glens, Torbank, GCT Mural, Ormeau Park Festival, Sponsors of Glentoran Youth and U18's, over £40,000 to local projects and charities in a year and a half, representation on the Board of Directors at GFC, and much much more! Click HERE for more details
11th Feb 08. Dungannon Swifts 0 Glentoran 2 ... and with 10 men too after Darren Boyce was sent packing after 17 minutes! Home to Donegal Celtic now in the Quarter-Final on March 1st.
8th Feb 08. Dungannon game - Match Betting: Dungannon 7/2, Glentoran 4/6, and a draw 5/2. Odds by Eastwoods
Ballymac's bus departs Wilgar Street at 1.30pm, all visitors are very welcome to travel.
Paul Leeman Soccer Sixes DVD - A DVD of last Monday nights hugely successful Soccer Sixes event at the Dundonald Ice Bowl has now been produced and goes on sale at all Glentoran games, starting at Dungannon tomorrow. Cost is £10, while for those of you unable to get to a game it can also be purchased online from ForzaTV for £13 as of today. Please note: Although Glentoran were not the only team to play in this event this DVD is produced from a Glentoran perspective, and as a result of this approx 75% of the content involves Glentoran. All profits will be donated to the Paul Leeman Testimonial.
5th Feb 08. Glens now 7 points adrift ... after Cliftonville tank Limavady United 4-1. League Table now updated
3rd Feb 08. Halfers - Draw v Donegal Celtic was won by Clifford Logan of the 1923 Committee. Sean Ward picked Clifford's ticket No. 9593 from the box to send him home happy with the score and £300! Tommy McKee (Bud Cliff ;-)
2nd Feb 08. "The Somme" revisited ... Don't forget folks, tonight in the Ballymac (Sat 2nd Feb) we will be giving you a second chance to experience the hugely popular "Trench Line Lectures" on the 1916 Battle of the Somme. Last hosted by Ballymac in May 2007, the evening icludes a very moving and informative presentation by local historian William Thompson in full military dress, focusing on events and conditions in the trenches during the first World War. The audience are taken on a journey through the daily lives of the Ulstermen who fought at the Somme, featuring authentic kit and weaponry used during the battle throughout. The evening also includes a unique display of genuine war-time artifacts, which the audience themselves are given an opportunity to inspect and examine. Doors open 7.30pm, and following on from the lecture will be a disco and late bar. All visitors are very welcome to come along, you certainly won't be disappointed. £5 in, pay at the door.
1st Feb 08. Glentoran 5 Donegal Celtic 1 - David Scullion, Darren Boyce, Michael Halliday, Kyle Neill, & Daryl Fordyce, although the DC goalkeeper will wish he'd stayed at home for 2 or 3 of them! Wayyyyy too easy otherwise, and it could have been a whole lot more ... and all without the services of Gary Hamilton. Wouldn't it be great if it was like this all the time.
Results and Table pages now updated.
